Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. Section 6 of P.L.2004,
c.134 (C.45:19A-6) is amended to read as follows:

6. a. The superintendent
shall cause to be issued to a registered security officer an identification
card containing such information as the superintendent shall prescribe. The
identification card shall be at least three inches in length and three inches
in width. The identification card shall incorporate appropriate security
features.

b. A person who is issued
an identification card pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be
responsible for its safekeeping and shall not lend, let or allow any other
person to use, possess, exhibit or display the card.

c. No person shall use,
possess, exhibit or display any license, card, shield or badge of any design or
material purporting to authorize the holder or wearer to act as a security
officer, unless such person holds a valid certificate of registration as a
security officer pursuant to section 4 of this act.

d. If it is established to
the satisfaction of the superintendent that an identification card has been
lost or destroyed, the superintendent shall, upon payment of an appropriate
fee, cause to be issued a duplicate identification card for the unexpired
portion of the term of the registration.

e. Any person who violates
the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a crime of the fourth degree
in addition to any other crime or offense specified by law.

f. Any registered
security officer who carries a weapon shall wear a full uniform while in the
performance of the functions or activities of a security officer. The
superintendent shall prescribe the requirements of the uniform. The
identification card required under subsection a. of this section shall be
attached to the outside of the uniform.

(cf: P.L.2004, c.134, s.6)

2. This act shall take
effect on the first day of the seventh month after enactment, except that the
superintendent may take, prior to the effective date, such anticipatory
administrative action as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

This bill would require the
identification card issued to security guards to be at least three inches in
length and three inches in width. This bill also would require security guards
who carry weapons to wear a security guard uniform while performing authorized
functions or activities. The security guard uniform would meet specifications
established by the Superintendent of State Police. The identification card
must be attached to the outside of the uniform.

Current law requires security
guards employed by security guard companies to be registered with the State Police
under the provisions of the “Security Officer Registration Act.” The act
requires applicants to be at least 18 years of age, complete an application,
have no criminal history record, and pass a 24-hour State Police education and
training program.

Registered security guards are
issued an identification card by their employer signifying they are authorized
to act as a security officer. Regulations require them to attach the
identification card to the outside of their uniform while performing the
functions of a security guard, except when doing so would compromise their
safety. There is no current requirement that they wear a specific uniform, but
they may not wear a uniform that might be confused with that of a law
enforcement officer.

Under the bill, security
guards who carry weapons would be required to wear a State Police approved
uniform whenever they are performing security guard functions or activities. The
uniform would include the three-by-three inch identification card.